History will record that Cambridge won the 103rd Swimming Varsity Match by a score of 54-36. History will also record that it was 8 points closer than the previous year.

History, however, won't record a lot of things. It won't record that the Cambridge team won the Match by virtue of greater desire. They wanted it more and they worked harder throughout the year to win. I salute them; they are an honourable group of men and a worthy opponent. My opposite number, Euan, has done an admirable job of leading his men and their success reflects that. I'd also like to salute Viktor. A great opponent forces you to raise your game and makes you work harder to improve; he was the man on the Cambridge team I wanted to beat. I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to race the 100m fly one more time, but as it stands we beat each other once and I think that it is appropriate this rivalry ends in a draw.

(On an associated note, the Tabs told me they've been reading this weblog closely over the past year, to which I can only say- good grief, don't you people have anything better to do than to read all this crap?!)

History also won't record that Oxford, for the first time in years, fielded a team, not a collection of individuals. This team came together and worked hard in quest of a common goal, and they did themselves justice yesterday. They performed well and should be very proud of themselves. It has been my privilege to lead them. We've come a long way from last year, and hopefully this Club can build on what we've achieved this year and take a bigger step forward next year.

Finally, history won't record that this was probably the last campaign of an old warrior who came out of retirement to fight the good fight one last time. I've been swimming for twenty years, seen the depths and reached the heights. I've got a lifetime of memories and met some of the greatest names to grace this sport. I've made many friends and have also seen the people who made the greatest difference to my swimming pass away. It's been a long, long road, incredibly fulfilling and enriching. If this is to be the end, I can think of no better way to go: leading my team against worthy opponents and fighting with honour, with my closest friends cheering me on.

And somewhere, I know, my father was watching me and smiling.